NEW YORK, February 4, 2009—Graduate student Martha Batalha is the recipient of the 2009 Oscar Dystel Fellowship, announced the Master of Science in Publishing program at New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies (NYU-SCPS). The award committee also gave an honorary scholarship to graduate student Kimberly Bayley.

The Dystel Fellowship—named for Oscar Dystel, a legendary leader in the publishing industry and former CEO and chairman of Bantam Books—consists of tuition scholarships awarded each year to outstanding graduate students in publishing. Members of the award committee, all distinguished professionals in the publishing community, serve as mentors to the Dystel Fellows and provide unique learning and networking opportunities.

“We are proud to award this year’s Dystel Fellowship to Martha Batalha, who has demonstrated a strong command of her academic studies as well as remarkable creativity, entrepreneurship and devotion to a career in publishing,” said Andrea Chambers, director of the M.S. in Publishing program, one of 14 specialized Master’s degree programs offered at NYU-SCPS.

Chambers continued, “Kimberly Bayley, recipient of an honorary scholarship, is to be highly commended as well. Both Martha and Kimberly have mastered the publishing fundamentals as well as the digital skills necessary to succeed in this challenging environment. They exemplify the high standards and academic rigor of students within the program.”

“Martha and Kimberly are gifted and talented individuals who promise to bring new energy and ideas to publishing. I am sure that they will take what they learn in the program and do great things in our industry,” said Jane Dystel, chair of the Fellowship Committee and Oscar Dystel’s daughter. She is a longstanding literary agent and president of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

The Master of Science in Publishing program at NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers a graduate degree designed to prepare industry professionals for management positions in both book and magazine companies. From traditional to digital media, the program provides the knowledge and expertise for success in an era of media convergence. Classes, taught by leading publishing professionals, are all in the evening and emphasize the leading-edge editing, marketing and branding, circulation and distribution, advertising, business development and digital skills needed to advance and excel.

About Martha Batalha
Batalha, recipient of the Dystel Fellowship, came to the United States one year ago from Brazil, where she was the founder and president of Desiderata, an innovative, Rio de Janeiro-based book publishing company specializing in humor and journalism books. Three of Desiderata’s 24 books were national bestsellers in Brazil. After selling her company to Ediouro, Martha enrolled in the Master of Science in Publishing program at New York University to expand her knowledge of the American market. She is currently interning with HarperStudio. A graduate of Pontifica Universidade Catolica (PUC), she envisions a career as an online marketer and eventually as an American publisher.

About Kimberly Bayley
Bayley, recipient of an honorary Dystel scholarship, is the associate manager of cross channel communications for Scholastic Inc., where she works on launch strategies for trade titles with domestic and international company sales channels, among other duties. Previously, she was an assistant editor for Scholastic Book Clubs. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana with a B.S. in Journalism, Kimberly hopes to earn an MBA after her graduation from NYU’s Master of Science in Publishing program. Her ultimate career goal is to run her own publishing company.

About the NYU School of Professional Studies

Established in 1934, the NYU School of Professional Studies (sps.nyu.edu) is one of NYU's several degree-granting schools and colleges, each with a unique academic profile. The reputation of the School of Professional Studies arises from its place as the NYU home for study and applied research related to key knowledge-based industries where the New York region leads globally. This is manifest in the School's diverse graduate, undergraduate, and Professional Pathways programs in fields such as Accounting, Finance, and Law; Applied Health; Arts, Design, and Film; Creative Cities and Economic Development; English-Language Learning; Entrepreneurship; Fundraising and Grantmaking; Global Affairs; Hospitality and Tourism Management; Human Resource Management and Development; Languages and Humanities; Management and Systems; Marketing; Project Management; Public Relations and Corporate Communication; Publishing; Real Estate, Real Estate Development, and Construction Management; Sports Management, Media, and Business; Translation; and Writing.

More than 100 distinguished full-time faculty members collaborate with an exceptional cadre of practitioner/adjunct faculty members and lecturers to create a vibrant professional and academic environment that educates over 5,000 degree-seeking students from around the globe each year. In addition, the School fulfills the recurrent professional education needs of local, national, and international economies, as evidenced by nearly 28,000 Professional Pathways enrollments in Career Advancement Courses and Diploma Programs. The School's community is enriched by more than 31,000 degree-holding alumni worldwide, many of whom serve as mentors, guest speakers, and advisory board members. For more information about the NYU School of Professional Studies, visit sps.nyu.edu.